


All I Want for Christmas

by forever (BeautifulIllusion)



Series: All I Want For Christmas [1]
Category: Candy Candy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Modern Era, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-02-22 14:51:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2511638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautifulIllusion/pseuds/forever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>26-year-old Candice White has finally fulfilled her dream of becoming a doctor. However, she hasn’t been as successful in her quest to find true love. Her first love was unrequited, and when she thought she would walk down the aisle, her fiance walked away from her. Now, with her painful past behind her, she is ready to face love again. But the man she sets her eyes upon doesn't seem to be interested in her. Or does he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

 

"Being in love is the most wonderful feeling you would ever experience in your lifetime", so that was what people said, or at least it was the message hammered into our minds by romance movies and novels. While it might be true to an extent, it could also create a source of frustration, that could progress into a state of misery, especially if you had no idea if the other person reciprocated your feelings or not, such in my case.

Things between Albert and me…

What things? Did we even have anything between us other than friendship?

To be blatantly honest, I wanted to be more than just a friend to him-–but I knew better than to force it on him.

What was I thinking, huh? But really, I couldn’t help myself. I had been powerless to stop my growing feelings for him.

When I had realized I had begun to harbor feelings that I had thought I would never have again for my so-called friend and employer, it hadn’t come as a shock to me. Obviously, I had been overwhelmed by the feelings in the beginning, thinking that it was too soon and inconceivable after I had sworn I would never fall in love again-–and it was Albert, for goodness sake. But eventually I had acknowledged there was no advantage to deny it or to fight it, for that matter. I hadn’t tried to conceal it and pretended that it hadn't been there. In the end, I had let the feelings flourish freely within me, consuming my every thought and filling my dreams night after night. Nevertheless, I had no intention to divulge my feelings to him, ever.

The fact that I was able to fall in love was already something I couldn't truly comprehend, even more so when it involved Albert. It made the whole experience felt like nothing short of a miracle.

It was true that just a year ago I'd still thought that I could never fall in love again. Love had been the last thing in my mind when I had been trapped in the pit of severe depression, which had been instigated by an unexpected turn of events.

To my utter disbelief, Terry had broken our engagement without offering any plausible reason. But I suspected that his reason had everything to do with the sweet and demure Miss Susanna Marlowe. Just two weeks prior to our break up, rumors about them had circulated everywhere, but I had refused to pay attention to the gossip.

My life had been in shambles for weeks following the abrupt annulment of my engagement, and I had had no motivation to continue my study, forfeiting admission into the University of Chicago medical program, which had been my ultimate dream. Heartbroken and hopeless, with no care for the future, I had departed Chicago to leave everything behind and somehow had ended up in New York city, working as a part-time waiter, waiting tables during the graveyard shift in a 24-hour diner, a favorite hang-out place for doctors, nurses, and interns from the nearby research university hospital.

But it wasn’t after a careless incident, involving a spilled pot of hot coffee and a visit to the ER that had brought me to cross paths with Dr. Laura Green, I had begun to stand up on my feet again.

Dr. Green had done so much for me that I didn’t think I could ever repay her in this lifetime. She was the heaven sent angel who had plucked me out of the dark abyss of my depression and had literally put me back on track so I could regain my life’s purpose. I cringed at the thought if she hadn’t been there to support me-–if that had been the case then I wouldn’t even be here right now, let alone reaching my goal to become a doctor. With Dr. Green’s assistance, I had been able to enroll into the medical program at the Columbia University, which held slightly better ranking than University of Chicago.

By my third year in the university, the teacher and student relationship between Dr. Green and me had inevitably morphed into a friendship. I couldn’t lie though that in the beginning, I had somehow envied Laura, wishing I could be just like her. She seemed to have everything: beauty, brain, success in life and in love. Now, however, I had only respect and great admiration for her. Aside from taking the role of my current mentor, as I had continued my residency in New York Presbyterian Hospital, she had become like the older sister I never had, and I loved her immensely for that.

Laura was also the one who had introduced me to Lizzie, one of her pediatric patients, and it was through Lizzie that I had had the pleasure of meeting the illustrious New York magnate, William Albert Andrew, who turned out to be no other than Lizzie’s father. In reality, that wasn’t even supposed to happen, but fate sometimes had its own mind.

Elizabeth Michelle Andrew--that was Lizzie’s full name–-suffered from a rare immune disorder in which her immune system became inactive to fight certain types of antigen. Fortunately, as long as she stayed on her immunotherapy regimen, her disease was not life-threatening.

It was Christmas Eve a year ago when I had literally bumped into little Lizzie as she had escaped Dr. Green’s office, barreling right into me. I remembered I had stood frozen on my spot when she tipped her head up to me, her blue eyes staring at me. There had been something about her that had reminded me of someone I had used to know in the past, but I had quickly dismissed the thought to a mere coincidence.

Little had I known, the floodgates of my past were about to be opened.

From that first encounter, it hadn’t taken long before the little girl with blond hair and blue eyes had gained a special spot in my heart. The more I had interacted with Lizzie the more I could see myself in her-–my young and naïve self.

The night I had met Lizzie, Laura had asked for a favor from me to take her young patient home since Lizzie’s father had an urgent meeting he had to attend. In spite of my fondness toward Lizzie, I hadn’t been as willing since it was after all Christmas Eve, but eventually I had relented.

The one thing my friend had neglected to do was to tell me who Lizzie really was. I had thought that Lizzie was just like her other patients, a young girl belonging to a middle class family. Suffice to say, I had been absolutely wrong.

I had realized my assumption had been completely wrong as soon as I had found myself standing, dumbfounded, in front of the multilevel historic apartment in the affluent neighborhood of Upper East Side – an impressive looking place which Lizzie had casually referred to as her home. The blond girl had to drag me along with her just to make me move out of my spot.

The house’s interior was as magnificent as I had imagined it. Feeling inadequate to step foot in such a stately home, I quickly excused myself, but Lizzie, with her angelic smile, had somehow managed to persuade me to stay. I didn’t want to overstay my welcome, but I just couldn’t bear to see Lizzie’s sky-blue eyes filled with tears while inwardly I cursed at her parents for being so careless and heartless to abandon their daughter in the huge house accompanied only by a housekeeper. And I was especially angry with her father for prioritizing his work over his very own daughter even on Christmas Eve.

Without wasting time, Lizzie had excitedly grabbed my hand and pulled me into her room. I didn’t remember exactly how long I had spent time talking to Lizzie in her spacious room that was the same size of my entire apartment, but I certainly had learned a lot about her in that one night. And at that time, the more I had known about her, the more I had felt compassion for her. Apparently, her mother had passed away a long while ago, at the time when she was nothing but an infant, and since then she had lived with her father. Lizzie had also mentioned that she and her father used to live in Chicago, which ironically was the city where I had originally come from, the same city that I had fled from right after Terry had punctured a sword right through my heart, leaving a deep gashing hole.

After telling some funny stories about her two seemingly eccentric uncles, Uncle Stear and Uncle Archie, Lizzie had suddenly made a request, asking me to read a book for her. So without thinking too much, I had chosen a Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol, which should be perfect considering the occasion, but before I could even finish the first chapter, she had fallen fast asleep. At the same time, I had started to feel drowsy myself, so I had decided to take a quick rest before heading home. However, that brief rest had unexpectedly turned into a long nap.

Of course, I hadn’t realized I had been sleeping until a gentle voice had jolted me out of my dream, and the second my eyes snapped open, I stared right into a pair of bewildered sky-blue eyes belonging to a man, a very familiar looking man. Under the faint yellow glow from the small lamp sitting on the nightstand, the man standing before me, six feet, blond hair, and blue eyes, looked so very much like...

My mind drifted to how the moment had transpired at that time...

_"Albert?!!!" I jumped onto my feet, the exhaustion that had consumed me earlier vanished._

_"Sssh..." He held his index finger to his lips in a gesture to silence me, his eyes darting to the side toward the sleeping figure on the bed._

_I pressed a hand against my mouth, my heart pounding. "What are you doing here?" the question flew out of my mouth before I could stop it._  
  
_He cocked an eyebrow, his low chuckle flitting into my ears. "Funny, you should ask. I thought I was supposed to be the one more entitled to ask that specific question. I stepped inside my daughter's room, finding a strange woman sleeping on the sofa. But it turns out the woman was not a stranger after all."_

 _My eyes widened at the word 'daughter'. "Don't tell me that--"_  
  
_"My turn--so Candice White," he cut me short, his eyes demanding an answer, "what are you doing here, in my house, with my daughter, at this very late hour?"_

 _"Your daughter? You mean Lizzie is your daughter?"_  
  
_He stared at me, looking partly bemused partly offended. "Yes, Lizzie is mine," he affirmed. Despite the polite tone, the underlying frustration was clear and it came to surface when he continued, "You still haven't answered my question. What are you doing here?"_

 _"I--" I began in a whisper, glancing toward the bed at Lizzie's serene sleeping face. The commotion that was taking place in her room didn't seem to affect her._  
  
_"If this is just a dream... " Albert's voice sank lower with a touch of melancholy._

_I shook my head weakly without turning to face him. "Sorry to disappoint you, Albert. This is as real as it can be." I slowly brought my gaze to him and offered him a rueful smile, mustering to appear calm despite the furious beating inside my chest_

_It wasn't that I had expected a warm big hug from him, but the way he was just standing there, even though it seemed as though he was staring at me intently, felt cold. It was as if I were standing in front of a stranger. I decided then that perhaps I should make my exit._

_Just as I bent down to pick up my purse, his voice startled me and ceased me from moving._  
  
_"I'm sorry. I was just so…umm…shocked. I needed a few moments to allow my brain to process all of these."_  
  
_I straightened my back, abandoning my purse on the carpeted floor, my eyes followed him as he let out a small awkward smile and stepped closer to bring his towering figure next to me. I forced a smile, but tears without my consent slowly formed in my eyes, making it even harder for me to maintain my smile._  
  
_"It's good to see you Candy…" he said in a soft murmur._  
  
_I was speechless. It felt like somebody had just injected an extra-strength dose of anesthesia into my mouth, numbing my tongue._

_After wiping the moist from my eyes with the back of my hand, without thinking, I took one step closer to him._

_Somehow the clock stopped ticking, and time had come to a standstill as we just stood there exchanging glances._

_I'd really wanted to fling myself to embrace him. But he just, with apparent hesitation, outstretched his hand to me. I had been disappointed. I'd been so extremely and thoroughly disappointed._

_Straining a smile as I struggled to keep the tears from flowing by biting hard on my lips, I took his proffered hand into mine. His hand felt cold to the touch, not at all like the way I remembered it a while ago. "Um…It's good to see you too, Albert." I shook his hand; my voice croaked with disappointment still lodging in my throat._  
  
_One drop of tear escaped, and it fell right on top of our hands. Simultaneously, we both looked down, and at that moment, I finally realized I had been squeezing his hand. Instantly, I retracted my hand._  
  
_The clock started ticking again, and the moment was gone._

That was how my unexpected reunion with Albert had unfolded a year ago. It had felt way too formal and way too… weird, for lack of a better word. No laughter. No squeal of joy. Just an air of awkwardness surrounding us.

But how it had happened didn't matter anymore.

Because now here I was, falling for him again.

Fate definitely had something up its sleeve when it had led me back to my first love last Christmas Eve.

**To Be Continued  
**


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

Before Terry, there was another man in my life who had been my everything.

Yes, that man was William Albert Andrew, Lizzie's father, whom until recently I had only known him as Albert.

I was only six when I had first met Albert in a local pet store. He was the handsome teenage boy working there to care for the animals. His friendly smile and tender blue eyes had attracted me instantly. Before long, despite my aunt's admonition, I had found myself visiting the store almost every day after school, hanging out there to hear Albert talking about all things related to pets and animals. As I spent more and more time at the store, I'd developed friendship with everyone who worked there. The store owner had let me get acquainted with all the animals in the store, and every time a new animal resident had been brought in, Albert would introduce it to me.

A month later, after more than a week of being ill, confined to my bed, I had stepped into the store eager to meet Albert only to have the store owner tell me that he no longer worked there. From the brief note Albert had written to me, I learned that he had to leave the country to attend college and he would like me to care for his turtle, Hurley. I had been very sad, but I had kept a positive attitude that one day I would meet him again.

That day had finally arrived when I had just begun attending high school, and of all the places in Chicago, I had spotted Albert again in the zoo. I could recognize him even from a distance away, and spontaneously, I had run straight into his arms, catching him by surprise, but he had welcomed me back in a tight embrace. Later I had found out that his love for animals had compelled him to volunteer at the zoo.

It hadn't taken long for us to reconnect despite the years that we had been apart, and I had shown him how much Hurley had grown. We had continued our friendship throughout my high school years. By then, I had known that my childhood crush for him had bloomed into something more meaningful, but I had kept my feelings hidden because I had always thought that he had only seen me as a friend or maybe even like his little sister.

In late summer, the night before I left Chicago to attend college in Virginia, I had returned Hurley to him and... I had kissed him.

I hadn't known how he had reacted since I had fled from there as soon as I had done that. It had been nothing but a goodbye kiss. I had finally decided to move on from my first love, accepting the fact that Albert would never reciprocate my feelings for him. I had begun college with the determination to find a new love, and not too long after that, Terry had come into my life. As time had gone by, my feelings for Albert had gradually diminished before it had been replaced entirely by my feelings for Terry. Before the start of my second year in college, Terry and I had become a couple.

When Terry had proposed to me on one beautiful late spring night after my college graduation, I had thought that my future had been set firmly - I would be Mrs. Grandchester. But the next thing I knew, he had called off our engagement, destroying the relationship that we had built for years. His sudden announcement had left me in a disconcerted state as I had felt completely at a loss, wondering how it could have happened and what I had done wrong. Once the shock and anger had worn off, I had fallen deep into the dark hole of depression.

Eventually, I had recovered from my depression, and I owed it all to my caring and considerate mentor, Dr. Laura Green. However, being beaten and defeated by love twice, I had become disillusioned and had vowed to never love again. So during the years I had continued my study, I had stayed away from being involved in any type of romantic entanglement and had not dated even once.

 _Never say never_. That was what everyone had told me, and they had been right.

It was on Christmas Eve of last year that I had been reunited with my childhood crush, my first love, Albert. It was a reunion that I had never expected to happen, but it had.

The moment had been surreal for both of us as we had stood face-to-face inside Lizzie's bedroom that was bathed in soft light. Through my sleepy haze, I could still recognize his sky-blue eyes, and his gentle voice calling my name had been the concrete proof that the blond man standing before me was Albert. What had ensued next was a very awkward moment between us while we both attempted our best to act normal in front of each other. After several rounds of hot chocolate, we eventually had managed to strike a real conversation, not just exchanging one or two words of pleasantries.

William A. Andrew was how most people had referred to him now. He was the charismatic leader of the Andrews' Corporation. All my life, I had only known him as Albert and had no knowledge that he was a member of one of the most influential families in the nation. Yet to me, he was still the same humble and kindhearted man I had befriended in the past, and I was truly glad that he had insisted that I called him Albert. I wouldn't have it any other way. He had always been and would always be Albert to me.

Upon Lizzie's request and Dr. Green's recommendation, Albert had offered me a job as Lizzie's personal physician. I had had no valid reason to reject his offer. However, I had told him that I didn't need the pay since I would still be working full time at the hospital anyway, but he hadn't consented until I had made a silly suggestion that he could cook for me as a form of payment to which he had laughingly agreed right away. I had thought that he had been joking about the cooking, but he hadn't. The first day I had come to check up on Lizzie and to give her treatment, I had decided to stay with Lizzie until her dad had returned from work. But when, after arriving from work, he had approached me and asked me what I would like to eat for dinner, it dawned on me that he had been serious about cooking me dinner, and he surely impressed me with his cooking skill - all his dishes were superbly delicious.

From that day on, my routine had changed. Twice a week, I would come to Albert's house to care for Lizzie and would stay there for dinner. In the beginning, I would leave right after dinner, but that hadn't been the case anymore for a while now. Without me actually being completely aware of it, the time I had spent in the Andrews' home had stretched longer and longer, and I would linger there even long after Lizzie had gone to bed, just spending times with Albert, chatting, watching TV, or playing video and board games. Slowly but surely, Albert and I had rebuilt our friendship. There were a few hurdles along the way, misunderstandings, my training in Europe --but somehow we could manage to surmount them all.

It was interesting though that even though we had known each other during our younger years, we rarely talked about the past. In the beginning, I had been worried that he would question me about the farewell kiss I had impulsively given him before I had gone away to college, but so far, he had never mentioned anything about that. He must have forgotten that incident already since it wasn't something worth remembering for him anyway. But I couldn't lie to myself that I wasn't disappointed because I truly was. And the fact that he had married another woman was just another cruel reminder that my feelings for him had been unrequited.

Nevertheless, I just couldn't stay away from him.

With the amount of times Albert and I had spent together, naturally, we had grown closer than we had ever been in the past. I had acknowledged then that it would only be a matter of time before my feelings for him were resurrected, and it hadn't taken long at all. A few months after our so-called reunion, I found myself gradually falling for him all over again.

Now, nearly ten years after I had walked out of Albert's life, here I was pining for him again, reliving the same feelings I had harbored during my high school years, as if I had never grown up. And to my dismay, just like in the past, I had no clue about his feelings for me.

There were times that I thought his intense gaze had spoken to me not in a 'friendly' way, and I couldn't help but feel that in one occasion he had been about to kiss me. But so far nothing sort of romantic had occurred between us.

Last Christmas, when I had only wished for a quiet evening, fate had brought me back to my first love.

This Christmas, all I wanted was a sliver of happiness, the void in my heart filled.

Could I wish for something wonderful to happen between Albert and me?

*********ccccccc*********

"Finally - where have you been? I've been looking all over for you," I heard Albert's impatient voice through my cell phone as I sat down on my chair, having just finished making my rounds in the urgent care.

"Have you ever heard of working, Albert? I've been here, tied up. There are many patients who required my assistance, you know," I replied, reclining my back against the cushion.

He chuckled. "Listen - I have a big favor to ask."

"I'm all ears, mister."

"Are you free tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow night. Hmm…" I kept silence for a brief moment as I tried to recall my schedule. "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve…"

I could hear him chuckling again. "Very good, Candy. You deserve a giant, flashing 'A' for that - so are you?" he asked insistently.

"I think I am. I don't think I'm scheduled to do any rounds tomorrow. What's up? What's so urgent? Is Lizzie okay?" I asked cautiously, suddenly worried that something might have happened to his daughter.

"Oh, that's excellent," he uttered in glee and quickly clarified, "It's nothing to do with Lizzie. She's at her grandmother's house and won't be back until Christmas morning. Would you mind accompanying me to the Christmas Ball tomorrow night?"

When I caught the last part of his sentence, I nearly fell backward in my chair. Of all the things he could've asked me – that one never did cross my mind.

"Did I just hear that right? You want me to accompany you to a party? As in being your date?" I asked him in an incredulous tone, thinking I might have heard wrong, my heart pounding.

"Yes, Candy, I would like you to be my date," he affirmed.

I was too shocked to reply to him properly as my brain still tried to reprocess his words. Could this be real? He had just asked me to be his date? However, I wasn't so sure about the event and the venue. For a first date, I had always imagined it would be in a low key place, like the zoo or something like that -- not that I believed it would actually happen though.

"Would you go with me, Candy?" he asked again, startling me out of my thoughts.

I took a deep breath and told him in a hesitant tone, "I don't know, Albert. A ball is way too classy for me, a boring, ordinary woman."

"Candy - you'll be fine there. And don't ever say that you're a boring person. You never are. I wouldn't have asked you if you were," he assured me with a slight chortle.

There was really nothing much to say after that. After all, I had been dreaming of this for like forever. "Fine - I'll go with you, Albert."

"Really? You will?" he uttered in excited disbelief before he toned down his voice, saying, "Thank you so much, Candy. I owe you a big one for this. I promise you'll have fun."

"You certainly do, Albert. You owe me big. Really big," I muttered in mock annoyance through my wide smile.

A stream of deep chuckles could be heard reverberating against my ear. "Well, okay then. I'll pick you up in about two hours or so."

"Wait a minute. Two hours? What in the world -"

Letting out a small laugh, he explained, " We need to do quite a bit of preparations. Some of them, we must do today and the rest tomorrow - you'll see. This afternoon, I'll take you shopping for gowns and some accessories."

"I'm not quite following you there. But new gown? Thanks, Albert, but I don't think that's necessary. I'm pretty sure I own something decent enough for the formal," I reasoned and politely declined his shopping invitation.

"I'm sorry, Candy - but this is different. This isn't like any other parties you've gone before."

Panic settled upon me at once, and I raised my voice, "That's true. How could I forget? This is a high-class society gathering, and I, a modest physician from a modest New York Hospital, will accompany you, William Albert Andrew, the A-list celebrity of the business world." When I realized that I had practically yelled into the phone, I paused momentarily and lowered my voice. "Now that I really think about it, I probably should not even go. I'm not worthy to be your companion," I said in a dejected tone.

"Candy - didn't I tell you that you'll be fine? You have nothing to worry - you'll be my perfect companion," he gently coaxed me, causing my cheeks to feel warm.

"Alb -."

He interrupted me at once, "Okay, Candy. I have to go now, but I'll see you in about two hours."

"Albert." I tried to protest but heard nothing in response. Darn! He had hung up.

It took me several minutes before I fully comprehended what I had just agreed to do. Eeek! I was going to a party with Albert as his date. And this was not just some ordinary party. This was a party for the super elites that would surely attract all New York's finest of the finest.

What was I thinking?

I still couldn't help wondering why he had asked me in the first place. Sure, we were great as friends, really great, but why on earth he would ask me to a prestigious event such as the Christmas Ball. I doubted he had run out of date options. I'm sure if he would just snap his fingers, all these beautiful women would willingly come and line up for him.

He had mentioned that this was a favor, so that meant this wasn't a real date, and I shouldn't invest my heart into this if I didn't want to get hurt in the end. In fact, I thought this so-called favor thing was too good to be true.

However, I could not dismiss the excitement stirring in the pit of my stomach that something was up.

*********ccccccc*********

In the afternoon, being Mr. punctual, Albert picked me up at exactly two o'clock, just as he'd said he would. He drove us to the legendary Fifth Avenue, a place known for its collection of high-end flagship stores. Once we were there, he made sure we didn't waste anytime. As soon as our feet touched the ground, we took a quick stride directly into this ultra chic boutique where a group of staff welcomed us cordially. I was then whisked away from Albert and ushered into a dressing room to try a gown. Well, that was just the beginning. Before I even realized it, one gown became ten. In the beginning, it was kind of fun playing a fashion model, parading and strutting in beautiful clothes, but later on, I felt physically drained.

After slipping myself into gown number eleven, I barely emerged from the changing room, nearly tripping on the gown. Albert, observing me from his seat, just gave me a chuckle and shook his head to express his objection to the dress I was wearing. The only response I could give him was a suppressed frustrated groan as I stomped back to the dressing room. I was ready to give up and decided to tell him that I didn't want to partake on this ridiculous activity anymore. The next dress would be the last outfit I was willing to try.

To my and my attendant's surprise and relief, a satisfied grin finally appeared on his face instead of a cringe or grimace.

I approached him, lifting the gown off the floor to prevent me from stumbling on it. "You smile. That's a good sign. What's the verdict?"

"This is it, Candy. We've finally found it. That dress is perfect on you," he exclaimed in an enthusiastic voice, standing up from his seat, his blue eyes seemingly focused on the gown.

"Really?" I remarked excitedly. "So now, can we go home? I'm in dire need of a good rest - I'm exhausted," I pleaded, having enough excitement for the day.

Without waiting for him to respond, I turned on my heel and headed back toward the dressing room. I just wanted to change quickly and left the store. Thank goodness, I didn't have to go back to the hospital to do another rounds.

"I'm sorry, Candy, but we're not done," I heard his rueful voice.

I stopped my pace and glanced over my shoulder to look at his sheepish smile. "We are not?" I asked incredulously.

He shook his head in reply. "We still have a few more stops to make."

I didn't know since when Albert had become a fashion expert. After we exited that boutique, we went to shop for shoes and handbag. And it did not stop there. Later on I found out, that he had arranged an appointment for me at this super exclusive salon frequented by celebrities and other New York's elite clientele. In addition, when he had dropped me off that night after the impromptu shopping marathon, he had briefed me on the schedule for tomorrow while I could only let out an incoherent mumble, staring at him dumbly. Since when do you need a schedule to go to a party? Surely, I didn't know what I had got myself into.

*********ccccccc*********

The next day, just like Albert had told me, the driver knocked on my door at exactly nine o'clock in the morning. Still donning my P.J. and in my cutesy Winnie the Pooh's slippers, I opened the door, feeling rather disgruntled, when the fashionably dressed, stoic faced man read the full schedule for the day off the paper held in his hands. Albert's chauffeur then took me to the salon, where I was pampered literally from head to toe: aromatherapy sauna, full body massage, body wrap, French manicure and pedicure. The experience had been heavenly, I must say, not something I was used to have for myself. Following the beauty treatment, I was taken to the two beauticians who would work on my face and hair.

Once the artist and stylist had finished applying make up on me and set my hair, a process that had felt like eternity, I changed into my gown. Since I had mostly dipped my head down, browsing through the magazine pages than facing the mirror, I hadn't really noticed what the beauty experts had truly done to my face and hair. With my curiosity piqued, I went to the mirror.

My mouth hung open as I stared at this person in front of me.

Who was that person? Was that really me? Was it possible for you not to recognize your own reflection?

I hadn't paid close attention to the gown Albert had deemed worthy to be worn by me. Being too exhausted and too upset after the hours of shopping, I could care less of how I would look tomorrow and had merely shoved the garment bag with the expensive gown inside it into my closet.

But, now that I took a really good look at the gown I wore, I must admit that I was impressed with Albert's sense of style.

The gown fitted me perfectly in its shimmery splendor, hanging just a tad above the floor. The satin, platinum colored material wrapped tightly around my torso and flared below my hips. It wasn't a fancy ball gown with elaborate embellishments made of shiny sequin pieces and frilly fabrics. Rather, it was very simple yet elegant.

To complement the strapless ball gown, my hair was pulled up in a loose bun held in place by several sparkling rhinestones pins with soft wisps of blond curls falling here and there framing my face. Then to complete the whole look of utter elegance, my face was polished with just the right amount of make up with a touch of colors to accentuate my eyes and my lips.

After thanking the highly skilled stylists for my complete transformation, I went back to the car, taking my seat, and soon, we were on our way to Albert's place.

Inside the car, I fidgeted a lot in my seat, nervous and anxious, imagining what could happen tonight.

"It'll be all right, Candy. Just think of it as if you were Cinderella. It'll be fun playing Cinderella for one night. You would be fine," I told myself in an attempt to calm my nerves, smiling at my own reflection at the window to my side.

The drive to Albert's house wasn't a long one. As soon as I arrived, I immediately searched for him inside the house. But unable to find him, I went upstairs to his room and knocked on the closed door, but no one answered. I contemplated to look for Lizzie instead but then just remembered that she would be in her grandma's house in New Jersey for the night.

In the end, I decided I should wait for him downstairs.

As I moved along the hallway, heading for the marble staircase, I noticed the wall mirror to my right and ceased my steps. After dropping my duffel bag on the floor, I stepped closer to the mirror. Cinderella, huh? I looked admiringly at myself in the mirror. Then I twirled around clutching at my gown and smiled giddily at my own reflection in the mirror, like a little girl in a princess costume.

"Beautiful."

Albert's voice stopped my movement altogether.

Thoroughly embarrassed being caught in my childish antic, I spun around and saw him standing in front of his bedroom's door. The second my gaze fell on him, I practically let my jaw drop to the floor. He looked good in his dark colored designer tuxedo, clutching his jacket over his shoulder casually.

"You look good, Albert. Drop dead gorgeous," I blurted out and immediately cursed myself for uttering such a boorish remark. I turned back facing the mirror, hiding my red face from him.

He laughed and paced toward me. "Thank you for the compliment, Candy," he simply said as he shrugged his arms into the sleeves of his jacket. "And you look simply radiant tonight," he added.

"Thank you, Albert," I replied absently; my focus diverted to the pair of gleaming blue eyes in the mirror.

I couldn't stop myself from staring at his reflection in the mirror as he slowly took a few steps closing the distance between us and stood right behind me. He was so near, that his chest practically touched my bare back.

Suddenly, without my consent, my heart started to beat erratically. The fresh masculine fragrance from his cologne didn't help my situation at all by lulling my senses. I stopped breathing for a second when he brought his hands over my shoulders, lightly brushing my bare skin in the process. My eyes grew large and my mouth snapped open as soon as I caught sight of the lustrous gigantic diamond solitaire pendant dangling above my neck. I was no jewelry expert but the stone size was huge - 4 to 5 karats perhaps.

Realizing that I had something around my neck that cost more than everything I owned in this world than everything I would be able to acquire in my lifetime, I gulped. "Albert. Uhm… I don't think I can accept this. I mean… Uhm… This is a really nice perk for being your partner, but I just can't," I told him nervously as I let my index finger run against the surface of the diamond pendant.

He chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, Candy. I didn't buy this for you. This is my family's heirloom jewelry," he explained.

My eyes widened. "Then the value is even greater. I don't want to ruin something as priceless as your family jewelry," I commented with apprehension in my voice, my focus straying to our reflections in the mirror.

"Candy - it's a diamond. What can you do to a diamond to ruin it? The only way you could scratch it is by using another diamond of the same quality and hardness. Don't worry. Nothing will happen." He smiled at me reassuringly before lowering his head as he clasped the necklace.

"There you go," he said, lifting his head to look at the mirror. I gazed at his reflection in the mirror.

"Now… Perfect," he merely stated with a broad smile, making eye contacts with me through the mirror.

"Perfect," I echoed him, murmuring in a softer voice as a wistful smile slowly formed on my lips, my heart beating thunderously against my chest.

I must admit though that I probably wasn't talking about the same thing he was. I was talking about the picture before me. The picture of Albert and me together. Perfect. As simple as that.

"Well, shall we?" he said, offering his elbow, a dazzling grin gracing his lips.

"Uhm… yeah…." I answered absentmindedly, hooking my arm with his, eyes still affixed to the mirror.

Would I be able to suppress my feelings for him tonight?

**To Be Continued  
**

**Author's Note:**

> Acknowledgment: the lovely fanart is created by Nachi.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you enjoy this story as I've enjoyed writing it.
> 
> For those who had read the story previously, you'd notice there are some differences. This is the revamped version.


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